The seed-mediated growth of noble metal nanostructures with planar geometries requires the use of seeds lined with parallel stacking faults so as to provide a break in symmetry in an otherwise isotropic metal. Although such seeds are now routinely synthesized using colloidal pathways, equivalent pathways have not yet been reported for the fabrication of substrate-based seeds with the same internal defect structures. The challenge is not merely to form seeds with planar defects but to do so in…

We report the results from the investigation of the mechanisms of self-sustained reaction in mechanically induced TiN/B nanocomposites. The exothermic displacement reaction, 3B + TiN → BN + TiB2, with an adiabatic reaction temperature of 1905 K, was initiated through two different means: localized thermal heating and mechanical stimulation by high-energy ball milling. Comprehensive studies strongly indicate that the chemical interaction in the system involves three main stages. Solid-state ma…